Brave to Take on the World
by LiaJayde
Summary: Bonnie returns to Mystic Falls after travelling for two years, fulfilling her promise to Enzo. Planning to teach temporarily at Ric & Caroline's school while they find a new teacher, she encounters old friends & an old flame & is forced to come to terms with everything she's lost. After travelling the world for what she needs, it's time she comes home to find it. [Updating Dec 18].
1. Brave

**Chapter One:**

 **Brave**

"I think I'll be brave, starting with you. But I'll fall away if you tell me to." - Tawgs Salter.

* * *

"Bonnie, we're desperate!" Caroline pleaded on the phone, her voice was shrill and unrelenting. "Freya had to rush back to New Orleans and now we don't have a witch on staff! What on earth are we going to teach these kids?"

Bonnie was sitting at a cafe in Paris, sipping a thick, strong coffee in between 'uh-huh's and 'hmm's to one of her best friends. It was cold, but sunny and looking around, if it weren't for the shrill screaming in her ear, it would be a perfectly picturesque day. Of all of the places she had visited in her quest to live up to her promise to Enzo, Paris was by far her favourite. It was where she felt closest to him - a feeling she craved even after 4 years and two days since he'd been gone.

"Bonnie? Hellooo?" Caroline drawled out, still shrill. Bonnie shook her head a little, trying to force herself to respond. She let out a deep sigh and set her coffee on the wrought iron table in front of her.

" _Okay_ , Caroline. I'll do it. I'll come back." Bonnie rolled her eyes as she said it. The last time she had been to Mystic Falls, it had only reminded her of all she had lost. But that was over two years ago now, for Damon and Elena's engagement party.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Caroline gushed loudly. Bonnie had to hold the handset away from her ear while Caroline calmed down. "I'll clean out a spare room for you." Bonnie shook her head.

"Care, I've _got_ a place. I can stay there." She argued.

"But _all_ of our staff stay here!" Caroline objected. Bonnie bit the side of her bottom lip and sat back in her chair. That was precisely why she didn't want to stay at the boarding house. She had seen Jeremy only a handful of times since he'd moved back to Mystic Falls. Each time had been awkward. He had known years ago that she had moved on with Enzo - through Matt, and Tyler before he had been murdered - but it seemed as if he had never done so himself. It had made her feel guilty for not rekindling their romance when she had escaped from the prison world, but that could never be enough to make her regret what her and Enzo had shared.

"Care, I don't know. I'll come back to teach until you find someone, but I'm not sure about staying at the boarding house. It might be a bit much for me. I like my solitude these days." She explained with a sigh. Caroline sighed in response.

"We'll talk about it when you get back. We love you and can't wait to see you!" And with a click, Caroline hung up. Bonnie plonked her phone on the round table in front of her, drank the rest of her coffee in two gulps and then flopped back in her wrought iron chair. It looked like she was going home.

* * *

Five days later, Bonnie stepped out of her hire car in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. She had on her aviator sunglasses and she felt like a mess after so much travel in such a short space of time. She shut her car door and clasped her thin, long beige cardigan close to her, feeling a chill in the air despite the warm temperature. The chill was in relation to the haunting memories all around her. She stared up at the foreboding house for a moment before gripping her oversized handbag as it hung over her shoulder and heading to the front door.

It took Bonnie a good 30 seconds of staring at the solid wooden door before getting up the courage to knock. But somehow she found it.

"Coming!" Caroline's voice came from beyond the door. "Girls! Put that vase down!" Suddenly a smash sounded from inside. Bonnie winced. Knowing the decor within, it was probably something expensive. "I said put it down, not stop levitating it!" Caroline shouted. Loud footsteps could be heard coming towards the door and a familiar, gruff voice told her they'd reached it.

"I'll get it, Caroline." The door swung open and there stood Jeremy Gilbert, towering over Bonnie. His broad shoulders and light scruffy facial hair were the main differences, but Bonnie also saw some similarities. His eyes were as earnest as ever and his eyebrows just as expressive, with a few more lines than she remembered sprinkles across his brow and eyes. Bonnie took in a deep breath while Jeremy took a moment to fully register who was on the doorstep before him.

"Bonnie." He said quietly. His eyes softened in recognition and his brows lowered, but crinkled up in the middle with uncertainty. Bonnie gulped.

"Hi Jer." She said just as quietly. The two of them stood awkwardly for a moment, before Jeremy ran his free hand through his longish brown hair and stepped aside, gesturing for Bonnie to come in.

"Do you have bags that you need help with or anything?" He asked, looking passed her to her car. Bonnie shook her head.

"I dropped them off at my place before I came over. I needed to check on a few things there first." Jeremy nodded. Caroline burst into sight, carrying half of a broken vase. Bonnie smiled and held her arms open to her old friend. Caroline's infectious smile spread over her face and she vamp-ran to Bonnie in a split second, embracing her tightly.

"Bonnie! I'm so glad you're here!" Caroline practically squealed. Bonnie found herself smiling widely, squeezing her eyes closed as she embraced her friend. When her eyes opened, she found they met Jeremy's, who had been watching her smiling. Bonnie pulled away from Caroline and gripped her upper arms warmly, smiling at her.

"I'm glad to be here." Bonnie said warmly. Caroline stepped away and placed the broken vase on a side table to their right, turning back to face Bonnie inquisitively.

"Where are your bags? Are they in the car?" She asked eagerly and turned to Jeremy about to ask him to go and get them, when Bonnie replied.

"No. Actually I left them at my place." Caroline's face fell. Bonnie felt a stab of guilt. "I needed to check on a few things there anyway. It's been so long since I've been home." Caroline looked crestfallen. Bonnie opened her mouth and then reconsidered, looking passed her to Jeremy briefly, raising her eyebrows slightly. Jeremy shrugged at her. When Caroline just tried to smile at Bonnie, clearly still upset, Bonnie found herself continuing. "I figured I could go and get them later." Caroline's infectious smile quickly spread across her face again and Bonnie found herself smiling despite the fact that she had desperately wanted to stay in her own place. Caroline stepped forward again and embraced Bonnie.

"Oh I'm so glad!" Caroline squealed again, practically bouncing as she clasped her hands together and danced on the spot. It was then that Bonnie noticed two familiar little girls in the background, only they weren't quite so little anymore. Both were looking rather sheepish, assumedly from the vase incident moments before. Bonnie pulled away from Caroline again.

"Girls!" She cried, bending down to their height and reaching her arms out to them. Lizzie and Josie ran towards Bonnie.

"Aunt Bonnie!" They screamed almost in unison. They both ploughed into Bonnie with such force that she almost rolled backwards on her feet.

"You're both getting so big! How old are you now? 15? 16?" She joked. Both girls pulled away from her with indignant expressions.

"No!" Lizzie exclaimed, looking offended.

"We're 7." Josie said with a serious nod, folding her arms. Bonnie raised her eyebrows at them and then looked up at Caroline and then to Jeremy. Both Caroline and Jeremy were smiling.

"So grown up!" Bonnie exclaimed, standing up straight again and rearranging her handbag that was still perched on her shoulder. Jeremy stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Here, let me take that." He offered. Bonnie hesitated, but then handed her bag to him with a grateful smile.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Alaric chose this moment to enter the room.

"Caroline, Chantelle would like to know whether she should make corned beef roast or stew toni - Bonnie!" He exclaimed last, noticing Bonnie in the entryway. He stepped forward to give her a hug.

"It's good to see you, Ric." She said warmly, hugging him. Alaric stepped back.

"You too, Bon." He then noticed Jeremy standing next to her with her handbag. "Nice purse, Jer." He said, raising his eyebrows with a knowing smile. Jeremy nodded and rolled his eyes. Bonnie and Caroline laughed.

"I'll just go and find Chantelle." Caroline said after Alaric had left the room again. Bonnie looked confused. "She's our cook. We have a lot of mouths to feed these days." Caroline explained. She then looked startled, suddenly remembering something. She spun around on the spot to face Jeremy. "Could you please show Bonnie her room?" She asked. Jeremy nodded. "Thank you! I'll see you soon, Bonnie." Caroline gave Bonnie another quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before she followed Ric out of the entryway. Bonnie turned to Jeremy, who was still blushing from Ric's teasing, but after running his free hand through his hair nervously, he raised his gaze to meet Bonnie's eyes.

"You're staying upstairs. I'll show you." He said kindly before leading Bonnie away. Bonnie gave an exhale of laughter.

"Like I have a choice." She said sarcastically. Jeremy smiled at her.

"She tries her best to keep the group together." He reasoned.

* * *

Jeremy opened a solid wooden door on their left as they turned onto the first floor platform and stood back, allowing Bonnie to enter first. Bonnie smiled as she entered the room. It was the very same that she had slept in during her and Damon's stay in the 1994 prison world. At least, it had been to start with. After a few weeks of non-stop company, her and Damon became closer and she eventually ended up sleeping in a bed he dragged into his bedroom. They had both been so depressed back then. Jeremy followed her into the room and placed her bag on the armchair opposite the bed. Bonnie turned back to him.

"Thank you." She said. Jeremy nodded and then cocked his head slightly to the side.

"Something the matter?" He asked her. Bonnie gulped. She should have known that he would be able to read her expressions so well.

"It's just...I've stayed in this room before." She said with a sad smile. Jeremy looked confused. "When Damon and I were trapped in the prison world, this was my bedroom." Jeremy's eyes widened with the revelation.

"I hope it's not too weird for you to stay here then." He said. "I'm sure Caroline could arrange for you to have a different room, if you like." He suggested, reaching to pick up Bonnie's bag for her again, but Bonnie stepped forward and reached out her hand to stop him.

"No, it's okay." She smiled at him. "I grew to like it here." Jeremy looked pained and Bonnie suddenly realised how that last comment must have sounded to him. She took another step towards him and her expression grew to be pained, similar to his. "Under the circumstances, I mean. It was still a prison. And it kept me away from my friends, my family..." She paused here, unsure what to call Jeremy. "And you." She finished and gulped, watching Jeremy's face with uncertainty. Jeremy grimaced, eventually making eye contact with her, his expression still pained. Bonnie took this moment to reach into her bag to pull out her keys. Jeremy took a deep breath.

"I'll come with you and give you a hand with your bags." He said, more of a statement than an offer. Bonnie tilted her head up at him with a slight side-smile.

"You know that I'm a witch, right?" She asked. "I could just levitate my bags. I'm a bit better at it than the girls were downstairs." Bonnie said with smile. Jeremy gave a short laugh.

"To be fair, I think they did that on purpose." They laughed. "Besides, I saw your hire car." He said bluntly. "Mostly I just want a chance to drive it." Bonnie laughed and held out her keys to him, thinking of the red convertible she had splurged on from the rental company.

"Okay, Gilbert. You drive." She said. "But I want to see your license first. You had better not lose me my deposit." She said, pointing at him suspiciously. Jeremy took the keys with a smirk. Bonnie could remember a similar conversation all those years ago.

* * *

 _Bonnie was standing out the front of the Lockwood Mansion. The Masquerade Ball had gone terribly and she had practically just been told by her cousin Lucy that her fate was in the hand of vampires and that would never change. Bonnie had let a silent, single tear roll down her cheek when Jeremy had come up behind her._

 _"Hey, I was gonna head home. Can I offer you a ride?" He paused as he came around to face her. Bonnie hurriedly brushed the tear away, but Jeremy noticed her pained expression. His face softened as he realised she was upset. "Are you okay?" Bonnie pursed her lips and then a small smile spread over her face._

 _"When did you get your driver's license?" She asked incredulously and gave a short laugh. Jeremy lowered his gaze, embarrassed that she still thought of him as a kid. He glanced back up at her once he had regained his composure a little and looked her square in the eyes, his expression turning more serious and earnest._

 _"I'm not a kid anymore, Bonnie." He stated simply. Bonnie swallowed, nodding. She had noticed that tonight, when she had first laid eyes on him in his suit. Then she smiled at him._

 _"I'd love a ride home."_


	2. In My Veins

**Chapter Two:**

 **In My Veins**

"Nothing goes as planned. Everything will break. People say goodbye, in their own special way." - Andrew Belle.

* * *

The drive to Bonnie's childhood home from the Salvatore Boarding House seemed to take longer than she remembered. Mostly because of the awkward silence that the drive started with. Bonnie focused on watching her home town zoom past her window. Jeremy, as a driver, focused way more than he should have on his ex-girlfriend sitting in the seat next to him. She seemed different to him. There was a certain peace about her that hadn't been there before. No, not peace. _Resignation_. Resignation at what she had lost.

"So where have you been travelling all this time?" Jeremy asked Bonnie, finally breaking the silence. Bonnie glanced back towards the front windshield of the car, looking pensive. She was struggling to remember where she had gone after Paris, the first time.

"I went to Paris first." She paused, but she found herself continuing despite the fact that her insides were screaming at her not to. "Enzo and I went there a couple of months before he was murdered. I wanted to feel close to him, you know?" Bonnie glanced sideways at Jeremy and noticed that his posture and facial expressions had both stiffened in determination to suppress any emotional response her words may have had on him. Jeremy was suddenly much more focused on the road before them.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie." He paused for a moment, taking a gulp. "I'm sorry for the way that everything played out." Jeremy paused again, taking a quick sideways glance at her. Bonnie's posture and facial expression had also grown hard in a similar determination to his only moments before. "And that I wasn't here to help." Bonnie shook her head.

"No." Bonnie said with determination, looking at him intently. "You had a chance to get out and start a fresh somewhere new." Bonnie found herself holding back tears, remembering the way things had ended between them and reflecting over how much they had each lost since then. "I'm so glad that you took it." Jeremy didn't take his stony gaze away from the road in front of them. He opened his mouth as if he was going to argue, but then closed his mouth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. A few turns around corners later, Jeremy's face had softened somewhat.

"So where did you go after Paris?" He asked. Bonnie thought for a moment and then grinned.

"Transylvania." She said. Jeremy laughed and glanced at her sideways again.

"Evil Vampire capital of the world. That's a little cliche, don't you think?" He asked, still smirking. Bonnie just smiled.

"Vlad isn't _that_ bad! He's just..." Bonnie paused. "Misunderstood." She finished. Jeremy laughed again, shaking his head.

"All his friends kept _piking_ on him." Jeremy said with a lopsided smirk. This time, Bonnie laughed and shook her head at his pun. She rested her elbow on the windowsill of the car door and her chin on her fisted hand, watching the town zoom past once more. She noticed they were only two blocks from her Grams' place now. "So where else did you visit over the years? I only spoke to you briefly when you visited for the engagement party. So it's been what, three and a half years?" Jeremy asked. Bonnie looked shocked for a moment, doing the mental math, and then, once she had confirmed it, nodded and continued.

"Let's see...after Transylvania, it was Greece, Turkey, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, then back here for the engagement, then I flew to Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Britain and back to Paris, where I've been for around 6 months or so now." Jeremy looked gobsmacked. He was in awe of all of the wondrous sights Bonnie must have seen in her travels. He tried not to be jealous.

"Wow. That sounds incredible." Jeremy said, impressed. Bonnie just nodded. She wasn't sure what to say next for fear of sounding arrogant.

"I promised him that I would see everything that he had never managed to." She said quietly. "Everything that we had planned to see together one day, I had to see for the both of us." Bonnie absentmindedly fondled the round pendant around her neck. Enzo's blood was still preserved in the vial within its centre. Jeremy resumed his stiffened and stoic position, refocusing on the road. They were on the right street now. Jeremy started to slow down as the white, weatherboard house came into view. He pulled onto the dirt driveway and parked the car. Bonnie looked up at the house with a smile, remembering all of the times Jeremy had driven her here over the years.

Bonnie stepped out of the car and grabbed her handbag off of the floor of her footwell. Closing the door with one hand, she fumbled inside her bag for her keys with the other and then realised that Jeremy was already unlocking the front door. Bonnie shook her head. She needed to get her head together. Jeremy opened the front door and held it open for her.

"After you." He said with a smile. Bonnie nodded at him and walked into the house. Her bags were in a neat pile in the foyer. When she had come home earlier she had only checked that all of the doors and windows were secure and that each room in the house seemed undisturbed. Unpacking hadn't even been a blip on her radar. Jeremy left the door open and turned to face Bonnie. Then he noticed the pile of luggage. "Is this everything?" He asked her. Bonnie nodded.

"Yes. I hadn't had time to unpack." She responded. Jeremy nodded and picked up a suitcase in each hand, heading out to load up the car. Bonnie gave herself a moment to wander into her old bedroom. She opened the door.

The room hadn't changed since the last time she stayed there; before Enzo had died. After he was gone and after everything, Bonnie had stayed at her Dad's old home. This was to avoid the heartache of remembering the last time she had slept in this bed, but also for more practical reasons. Her travel plans were not cheap. Her Dad's home had been left to her, but she already had a home; two homes in fact. Although, she hadn't been brave enough to set foot in the old B&B yet at all. She had moved into her Dad's home and done a few DIY renovations before putting it on the market. The sale had finalised the very day she left Mystic Falls. When she returned nearly two years later to celebrate Elena and Damon's engagement, all she had been reminded of was when Enzo's heart had been torn from his chest...and taken her's with it. She had stayed at Elena and Damon's new place the night of the engagement, and had left the very next day. That flight had been the worst she had ever been on. Not for reasons like screaming children, or smelly people sitting next to her, but because with each mile she drew further away, she both missed and ached for her home town and the people within it, but knew that she couldn't return for a long time. It was just too painful.

Bonnie heard Jeremy come back in for the rest of her bags and leave again through the front door. She wandered over to her chest of drawers and opened the top drawer. Inside were some of Enzo's belongings, that she had insisted he leave here so that he would begin to feel more at home. A t-shirt, underwear, a leather jacket and jeans. She fondled the necklace around her neck once more, something she did more than she realised. Reaching into the drawer, she picked up the jacket and let the leather run through her fingertips, hoping that they would reach through the veil to feel the firmness of Enzo's chest beneath it. Little did she know that he was standing right beside her the whole time.

"I know, love." He whispered silently to her deaf ears. "I know." A tear rolled down her cheek and she pressed the jacket into her face, breathing in the remnants of his scent, which had already faded with time. Only the faint smell of his aftershave remained. His personal scent was long gone, replaced with staleness. When Jeremy re-entered, he called her name.

"Bonnie?" She heard him enter the room behind her and quickly wiped her face on the back of her right hand before turning around. Jeremy lowered his gaze to the crumpled jacket in her hands and his heart broke for her. "Do you need a moment?" He asked softly. Bonnie sniffed, holding in tears, but then she shook her head.

"I should have known that I couldn't have stayed here." She said, her bottom lip quivering and her face crinkling in anguish. "He's everywhere. I can't stand it." Her voice cracked through the emotion and she shoved the jacket back in her drawer, slamming it shut and leaving the room.

Jeremy stood for a moment, staring around the room he used to frequent so often as a teen. It had changed since he was last here. But every inch of it, still spoke volumes in Bonnie's unique voice. From the sheer deep purple curtains to the fairy lights that littered her head board. Jeremy turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. He spun on his feet to head for the front door, assuming that that's where Bonnie would have gone, but then he heard sniffle from down near the floor. He lowered his gaze and found her, hugging her knees to her chest, her face buried in her folded arms atop them.

Jeremy knew his relationship with Anna had not been the epic love that Bonnie had experienced with Enzo, being so young, but it had certainly felt that way to him at the time. He could empathise with what she was going through. The reminders of those you lose are everywhere, for so long. To this day he couldn't set foot in a library without half expecting to see Anna's smiling face between the books, from one aisle to the next. Whenever he felt lost, he still craved to feel his mother's arms around his shoulders telling him he was going to be okay. He was no stranger to grief and knew there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. So he did what was possibly the only thing he could do. He sat down beside her, took her hand from her knees and clasped it in both of his, and held it while she broke.

"I just feel so alone." Bonnie said between her tears. Jeremy shushed her calmly and then released her hand to reach his right arm around her small frame protectively, pulling her in to rest her face on his chest. Her tears soaked his t-shirt through quickly, but didn't care.

"You're not alone. If my experience with ghosts tells me anything, he's probably nearby right now. Watching you and wishing that he could be the one holding you." Bonnie shook with her tears, squinting away from Jeremy's chest for a moment to glance up and down the hallway, wishing for a sign that Enzo was there. But she saw nothing.

"He's not wrong, love." Enzo whispered from his position down the hall. His face was contorted in anguish at seeing the love of both his life and death, so incredibly broken over his absence. He watched her intently, thanking Jeremy for comforting her. But his words fell on deaf ears, yet again, and he strode into the shadows beyond the end table in the hall.

Bonnie sat with her face buried into Jeremy's chest. He simply waited for her to recuperate, stroking her hair, attempting to provide some comfort. Eventually she raised her head and, staring straight ahead at the hallway wall opposite, she wiped her face with her hands and took a deep but shaky breath. Jeremy pulled his arm away from around her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Bon?" He asked softly, knowing the real answer without having to ask. She understood immediately that he meant in the moment as opposed to if she was actually okay. She wouldn't be for some time. But she was able to stand, and that was a start. Bonnie nodded and rose from the floor, holding her clenched fists in front of her stomach as she did so, almost as if it was a fight to stand. In a way, it was.

"We should get back." She stated, avoiding Jeremy's concerned eyes. He reached out and cupped her upper arm gently in his hand.

"It's okay to break." He told her. Bonnie grimaced as she held back more tears and nodded quickly, still avoiding his eyes.

"Thank you." She said so quietly that it was practically a whisper. Jeremy smiled sadly.

"Anytime." Bonnie couldn't help but recognise the understanding look in his eyes. She had seen it so many times before. Jeremy had always seemed to understand her so well.

* * *

 _Jeremy strode into his bedroom with purpose, carrying a glass of water. Bonnie watched him with a small smile, tucking her legs beneath her as he approached, wanting him to sit beside her. He passed her the water._

 _"Here, drink this." He instructed her with concern. Bonnie reached out with both hands, still a little shaky._

 _"Thanks." Bonnie took a sip of the water, watching Jeremy's face as she did so. She could practically see the cogs turning in his head, panicked at what had happened to her._

 _"What happened? You scared the hell out of me." Bonnie pulled away from the glass, setting it down on Jeremy's bedside table and tried to give him a reassured look, despite her own concerns._

 _"It's nothing." She said, shaking her head. Jeremy shook his head in response, determination setting in on his face._

 _"It wasn't nothing, Bonnie." Bonnie sat up, straightening her back against Jeremy's headboard. Jeremy looked exasperated in his concern about her wellbeing._

 _"I've been doing a lot of magic lately. It wears me down." Bonnie said, her expression almost defiant, for she was adamant that Jeremy not think her weak. But Jeremy continued._

 _"When I'm worn down, I take a nap. You were…you were unconscious." He insisted, doubtful._

 _"Witchcraft has its limits. If I push too hard, it pushes back." Bonnie told him, almost whispering. She hadn't told anyone else about her weakness._

 _"How do you know all this?" Jeremy asked, curious._

 _"It's all in here." Bonnie gestured at her family grimoire that was resting on Jeremy's bedside table. "It's like a reminder that I'm not invincible." Jeremy pursed his lips, still concerned. Bonnie grew worried that he would tell the others to put a stop to their constant expectations of her to do magic for them. Bonnie leaned forward, taking Jeremy's hands in hers."Please…don't…don't tell anyone."_

 _"Why not?" Jeremy asked, not sensing the danger._

 _"Because it's a weakness and I don't want certain people to know that." Bonnie explained._

 _"By certain people, you mean Damon." Jeremy said with a sneer._

 _"I mean anyone that can hurt me." Bonnie told him earnestly. Jeremy nodded, removing his hands from Bonnie's only to take hers in his._

 _"I won't tell anyone, okay? I promise." He told her genuinely. Bonnie nodded, smiling gratefully. Her eyes were still tired from fainting. He squeezed her hands gently. Jeremy's eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips. Bonnie didn't miss a beat. She wasn't ready for that. She didn't think Jeremy was either._

 _"It's hard, you know? My grams is gone and my dad, he doesn't want to know about what I am. He hasn't since my mum left. I'm all alone in this." Bonnie told him, sitting upright a little, pulling away from Jeremy, but not withdrawing her hands, which were still gently nestled inside his._

 _"It's how I feel a lot of the time, alone." Jeremy swallowed slowly. Deliberately. He let his eyes flicker to Bonnie's lips again. She nodded, amazed that someone she had known since they were so young, had morphed into the person sitting before her. A person who seemed to understand her in a way that no one else did. And when concerned for her wellbeing, actually sought more information to better protect and care for her._


	3. Ocean Wide

**Chapter Three:**

 **Ocean Wide**

"Things were said, words that we'll try to forget, it's so hard to admit. I know we've made mistakes. I see through all the tears, but that's what got us here." - The Afters.

* * *

The drive back to the Salvatore Boarding House seemed much faster this time. Turns out nothing broke an awkward silence quite like a nervous breakdown between two exes. Bonnie smiled at this thought. The pair kept stealing side glances at each other - Jeremy out of concern and Bonnie in awe of how after all of these years, and all of the heartache they had been through over each other, they were able to reach this level of friendship and compassion again so easily. She wondered why she had been so nervous to see him again. The brief time they had seen each other since their break up had felt awkward and strained. Maybe all they had needed was time.

Bonnie lent forward and inspected her face in the flip down mirror of the passenger's seat, looking for outward signs of her breakdown. Her eyes were puffy, but that was all. She praised the waterproof mascara gods and sat back in her seat again. She felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. Jeremy noticed her tired expression.

"It's only 3. You have about 3 hours before dinner if you want a rest when we get back." Jeremy told her. Bonnie nodded. A sleep was probably exactly what she needed.

When they arrived, Jeremy parked Bonnie's hire car, got out, opened the back door on his side and grabbed two of her bags from the backseat. Bonnie took her time, getting out of the car slowly and placing her handbag over her shoulder. She made a move to get the other two bags from the backseat on her side, but Jeremy stopped her.

"I'll come back and get those." He told her, kicking the door shut and walking around to her side, towards the house. They entered the boarding house and went upstairs to Bonnie's bedroom. Bonnie opened the door and went in. Jeremy followed her, placing the bags on the floor at the foot of her bed. Bonnie left her handbag on the armchair and sat down on the bed in a heap. Jeremy smiled at her. "I'll just go and grab the last two bags." Bonnie nodded.

"Thanks, Jer." She said. He just smiled and nodded at her before leaving the room.

Bonnie flopped down on the bed right where she sat, leaving her legs dangling over the edge and her arms outstretched, perpendicular to her sides. It may have been the jet-lag, it may be have been the emotional trip to her childhood home, but whatever the reason, Bonnie fell fast asleep within seconds of closing her eyes.

Jeremy re-entered the room quite loudly at first, kicking open the semi-closed door with his foot as his hands were full with the last two bags. Then he glanced up and saw Bonnie laying on the bed. Given her position, he thought she must have been awake. He put the cases next to the others at the foot of her bed and then headed for the door. Glancing back, he addressed her.

"I'll let you have a lie down." He said. When Bonnie didn't respond, Jeremy looked confused. _Surely_ she hadn't fallen asleep like that. He walked quietly across the room to stand at her feet and saw that she was sleeping peacefully, despite appearing to be in such an uncomfortable position. He shook his head with a smile. He reached his left arm down under her calves, scooping up her legs and his right arm under her outstretched left arm, underneath her back. He spun her around slowly so that her head was now resting on her pillow and her legs were up on the bed. He then placed her arms in a more relaxed position. Bonnie stirred. Jeremy took a step back, worried that he'd woken her up, but Bonnie simply rolled onto her side and curled her legs and arms up. Jeremy smiled. She always used to sleep curled up like this in a tiny ball, with such shallow breaths that it scared him sometimes. He would glance across at her at night and watch closely until he saw the slightest sign of breath before he could go back to sleep. Then he remembered the very first time he had ever watched her sleep; remembering the calmness he felt and the commitment that swelled in his chest to protect her from anything he could. Jeremy scanned the room for a blanket and found one under her bag on the armchair, which he draped over her before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him. Jeremy breathed out slowly, closing his eyes and leaning back against the door. A memory gripped him.

* * *

 _Jeremy sat on his bed. Bonnie lay on his bed beside him, wearing his denim jacket. The amount of magic she had been doing was too much for her. She had fainted once already that day, and not to mention the nosebleeds. He took this moment to watch over her beautiful features. She looked so peaceful and calm. Her breaths were shallow, which had concerned him at first. But after two hours of shallow breathing, he decided that it must be normal for her._

* * *

Bonnie awoke to Jeremy standing over her, his hand gently rocking her shoulder trying to awaken her. Bonnie blinked at him several times before she truly registered what was happening and where she was.

"That jet-lag though." She mumbled to him. Jeremy smiled, shaking his head at her.

"Caroline is too busy making sure everything is perfect for your welcome home dinner, so she sent me back up to make sure you were awake. Elena, Damon and Matt should be here soon too." He told her. Bonnie's face lit up at the thought of seeing her two best friends, her grin spreading across her face like wildfire. Jeremy smiled at her reaction. She sat up and pulled herself forward on the bed, getting ready to stand up. Jeremy took a few steps backwards to give her space.

"I'll just freshen up and be down soon." She said, standing. Jeremy nodded.

"I'll see you downstairs." He told her and left the room. Bonnie let out a deep breath and headed for her ensuite bathroom. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and decided it would be best to just wash her face and start again.

* * *

A touch of mascara, some lipgloss and hair mousse later, Bonnie emerged from upstairs and landed in the foyer at the same time as Damon and Elena, who had just come through the front door. She stood at the foot of the stairs numbly for a moment, a grin plastered on her face at them both. Neither of them had noticed Bonnie was watching them yet. Elena was fixing the sleeve of Damon's long-sleeved collared shirt and Damon was watching her face with a goofy smile. In this moment, Bonnie was so incredibly happy for them both. Here they both were, living out their happy ever after. Then she let herself remember how close she had gotten to her own happy ever after and the pit of darkness reformed in her stomach.

Damon was the first to notice her. Elena was still fussing with his sleeve when he glanced up at her. Bonnie's grin widened.

"Hey, Bon-Bon." He said with a smile that went all the way to his eyes. Elena dropped Damon's sleeve instantly and spun around to face Bonnie.

"Hey, yourself." She said.

"Bonnie!" Elena cried. Then they flew at each other. Elena and Bonnie pulled each other into a sisterly embrace. Damon stood back and smiled at his two favourite people. He was so glad to have them back in the same place. When the two of them parted, Elena stepped aside and Damon took a step forward. Bonnie quickly stepped towards him and reached her arms up and around his neck. Damon embraced her tightly, lifting her feet from the floor, which tucked around behind his knees. He closed his eyes as he hugged his best friend.

"Good to see you, Bon-Bon." He said with a grin.

"I've missed you guys so much!" Bonnie exclaimed. She had tears brimming in her eyes and after Damon set her down on the floor again, she wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "So, any word on a date yet?" She asked them excitedly. Elena automatically began fingering her engagement ring and her and Damon shared a glance. Bonnie looked concerned.

"Not yet." Elena said. "We want to be sure that all of the people we love are going to be here for the wedding. Not just for the event itself, but the lead up too." Bonnie nodded slowly, understanding. Damon cleared his throat and Elena pursed her lips.

"We don't want to pressure you into staying, Bon-Bon. We just can't imagine planning our big day without you there." Damon said warmly. Bonnie gulped and immediately felt guilty for having been gone for so long. This hadn't been her intention at all to force anyone else to put their lives on hold.

"We're enjoying our engagement so we don't want you to feel like you're holding us back." Elena paused and looked at Damon, who was already looking at her. "We would rather wait until we truly felt everyone could celebrate with us." Elena finished and returned her gaze to Bonnie.

"We want you to be happy first." Damon told Bonnie. Bonnie could feel tears brimming in her eyes. She tilted her head and her face contorted as she tried in vain to hold back her tears. Then she stepped forward and pulled them both in for a hug.

"Thank you for being patient." Bonnie said. "I'm trying, I really am." She said between sniffles. Elena and Damon shared a look of concern above Bonnie's head.

"Bonnie?" A gruff voice came from the doorway. Bonnie pulled away from Damon and Elena and saw Matt standing there, holding a six-pack of beer. Bonnie's grin returned.

"Matt!" She cried and the two of them strode together to embrace, Matt's beer slung awkwardly behind Bonnie's back. When they pulled away, Matt's eyebrows rose and he began to shake his head in disbelief that he was actually looking at her.

"How's it going, Bon?" He asked warmly. "It's been so long since I last saw you, I can't believe you're really here." He said. Bonnie gave a short laugh.

"I'm good. Very jet-lagged, but good." She told him. Matt was no stranger to grief. He didn't look completely convinced that she was truly good, but he smiled and nodded just the same.

"Good to hear, Bon." He told her warmly.

* * *

Dinner was a fun affair. In between conversations with her friends on her travels and their jobs, Bonnie felt oddly surreal sitting around a dinner table with what felt like everyone, but with so many missing at the same time. Ric, Caroline, Damon, Elena, Jeremy, Matt and herself sat around the old Salvatore dining table, and Lizzie and Josie sat at a child's fold away card table just meters away. Looking around at her friends, it was clear that this dinner happened very regularly. After listening to the conversations happening at the table, she realised it must be a weekly thing; Friday night dinners.

The other thing Bonnie realised was that it was very clear who was missing, and how many people should have been sitting in between her friends. Between Ric and Caroline, would sit Jo and Liz; between Caroline and Damon, would sit Stefan; between Elena and Jeremy, would sit Jenna; between Jeremy and Matt, would sit Vicky and Tyler; and in the seat beside her - it hurt her to even think his name. Bonnie was staring at the floor beside her when Jeremy interrupted her thoughts.

"Everything okay, Bonnie?" He asked concerned. The table seemed to hush - only Ric and Caroline continued talking at the other end of the table to the girls who were too busy pushing food around their plates to eat it. Bonnie snapped to attention and nodded, forcing a small smile his way. Jeremy didn't look convinced but sensed she didn't like the added attention so he continued his conversation with Matt about the upcoming Founders' Day celebrations.

* * *

After dinner, everyone headed to the kitchen, clearing the table and cleaning up. From there, they spilled out onto the patio, sitting around under the vine wrapped gazebo. As her friends drank more and more alcohol, they grew louder and their laughter to conversation ratio grew in favour of the former. Bonnie didn't like to drink much these days - it let her fall into an all too comfortable numbness and it scared her that she would want to drink continuously to let that numbness continue. She took a backseat to their discussions and sat in a wicker armchair, stirring her first glass of whiskey that she had been nursing for sometime now.

Lost in her own thoughts, Bonnie was running over Elena and Damon's earlier conversation in her mind. She understood that they wanted her to move home and settle before settling down themselves, but she hated the fact that it meant that, yet again, she would have to put the 'greater good' ahead of her own needs and wants. She didn't believe she was ready to return to Mystic Falls full-time yet, especially after her episode at her childhood home today. After all of this time, Enzo's death still hit her like a tidal wave every time she thought about him or anything reminded her of him. Bonnie still couldn't think of Stefan without getting so angry that it felt like her insides were melting from the sheer fury.

Soon, the party began to amp up, with Ric wheeling out the record player and he, Damon, and Jeremy began to argue over music. Matt, Caroline and Elena were deep in discussion over the Founders' Day event planning and Bonnie took this as her opportunity to venture off into the darkness.

* * *

Bonnie held a tiny ball of flame in the palm of her hand as she walked through the woods. After ten minutes or so, Bonnie arrived at the Salvatore tomb and stood outside the gates for a moment, staring at the foreboding building. She took a deep breath and entered. She came to a halt in front of Stefan's tombstone, where she promptly sat down crosslegged, staring up at the cold stone. She sat in silence for a few minutes, unsure of how to proceed.

"Stefan, I don't know if you can hear me, wherever you are now, but I need to talk to you." She said sternly. "Elena and Damon are waiting on me to move forward with their lives and for me to let them do that, there are some things I need to do and say." Her voice began to quiver with raw emotion. "You _chose_ to become the monster you were when you murdered Enzo." She spat out. "You may not have decided to rip his heart out specifically, but you sealed his fate nonetheless when you switched off your humanity." Bonnie paused and tears poured from her eyes as she squeezed them shut. She gulped loudly. "These last four years have been the hardest years of my life. I have travelled all over Europe, seeing things that he and I dreamed about. And I _have_ to do this because I _have_ to see enough for the _both of us,_ because _he_ isn't here anymore." Bonnie began to sob. "But through all of this, I want you to know something." Bonnie paused again, taking a deep breath. "I _forgive_ you. Not because I truly feel you deserve it, but for three reasons. Firstly, I forgive you because _I know_ that Enzo would forgive you. He probably forgave you before his heart hit the ground. And he would want me to forgive you too. Secondly, I forgive you because _I am exhausted_ from hating you. I can't spend any more of my time and energy _hating_ someone who isn't even here any more." Bonnie had to pause for a minute to regain her composure as her sobs took hold. Once she had done so, she continued. "And lastly, I forgive you for Damon and Elena, because they want me to be happy so that they can move forward with their lives, and I, _unlike you_ , would _never_ do anything that could potentially jeopardise my friends' happiness, no matter the circumstances."

Enzo stood behind Bonnie in the dark tomb. He watched her share her pain with Stefan. Enzo wondered if Stefan could hear, like he could.

"I am _so_ incredibly proud of you, Bonnie Bennett." Enzo whispered to her. He squatted down behind where she was sitting and reached his left hand out to cup her shoulder.

Bonnie felt a weight on her shoulder and spun her head around, expecting Jeremy or Damon from the weight of what felt like a hand. Instead, she saw pale features, deep brown eyes and slicked back dark hair - but as quickly as she saw him, he was gone. Bonnie was stunned, she crawled around to face where she had seen him crouching, her eyes wide and darting about the tomb, desperate to catch another glimpse of him.

"Enzo?" She asked the darkness. "Enzo?" She called, this time louder. Bonnie stood up, raising her hand that held the flame high into the air to better light up the tomb. "Enzo, are you here?" Her desperation echoed around the tomb and Bonnie realised she must have dreamed it. She felt her breath leave her lungs in a dry, heavy gasp. She felt winded by grief. Bonnie burst into tears and collapsed to her knees on the floor of the tomb, the ball of flame rolled from her hand and burned on the floor. She cried into her hands on the tomb's paved floor.

* * *

Elena glanced up from her conversation with Matt and Caroline, suddenly noticing that Bonnie wasn't sitting with them any longer. She stood up and left Matt and Caroline still arguing over the order of the Founders' Day parade floats. Jeremy was also looking around at Bonnie's now empty armchair. Elena walked over to him.

"Do you know where Bonnie went?" Elena asked him. Jeremy shook his head.

"I was right about to ask you the same question." He said.

"Caroline said you were with her most of the afternoon." Jeremy nodded in response and Elena continued. "How is she doing?" She asked. Jeremy let out a deep breath.

"Not great, but I don't think that's surprising. She still seems to be carrying a lot of grief, guilt and maybe anger about what Stefan did to Enzo." Jeremy told her. Elena pursed her lips.

"Well she couldn't have gone inside. She would've had to walk straight past us." Elena said. "What could she be doing out in the woods?" She asked incredulously. Both of them seemed to come to the same realisation at the same time as it dawned on them and they left in the direction of the Salvatore Tomb.

As Elena and Jeremy drew closer to the tomb, they picked up their speed. They could see a flickering light from within the gates - someone had a lit a flame inside. Bonnie was still crumpled on the floor of the tomb when they arrived at her sides. Bonnie didn't need to look up to realise who it was that had found her.

"I saw him. He was right here. Why didn't he say anything? I just want to hear his voice." Bonnie muttered between her sobs, rambling into a semi-coherent mess. Jeremy and Elena shared a concerned glance.

"Come on, Bonnie. We'd better get you inside." Jeremy told her soothingly. Bonnie nodded into her hands that were muddy from her tears mixing with dust from the floor. Elena rubbed Bonnie's back soothingly, but realised that Bonnie wasn't standing up. Jeremy nodded to Elena.

"I got it." He said quietly and he swept Bonnie up into his arms. She coiled her arms around his neck and he supported her weight mostly on his right hip. He headed out of the tomb and for the boarding house.

Elena followed a few steps behind them both, watching them intently. Bonnie's face was buried into the crook of Jeremy's neck and he kept resting his chin on her hair to comfort her. Until Enzo, Jeremy used to be the one who was always looked out for Bonnie, putting her first, when no one else would - Bonnie included. He would always be the voice of reason for Bonnie's wellbeing and Bonnie's safety, even if it meant putting his own life at risk and Elena began to think that maybe that, or more specifically he, was exactly what she needed.

* * *

Elena parted ways with them as they reached the back patio. Damon looked at Bonnie with concern and made to approach her and Jeremy, but Elena got to him first, wrapping her arms around his middle and shaking her head gently. They watched as Jeremy continued inside with Bonnie's small frame shaking with tears in his arms.

Bonnie sobbed into Jeremy's chest as he climbed the stairs to her room in the boarding house. He continued to 'shush' her softly, the air whistling almost silently into her hair; a sound only she would be able to hear; a sound he made only for her. His chin rested on her hair, with a firmness that helped her feel safe. He kicked the door to her room open with his foot and bumped it open further with his backside, heading for her bed. He gently laid Bonnie down on the bed before pulling the blanket over her for the second time that day. Then Jeremy allowed himself to look over her face. Her green almond shaped eyes were looking up at him, pained.

"Thanks, Jer." She told him softly. Jeremy felt his heart strings tug. He smiled down at her and then reached down to take her hand in his, squeezing gently.

"Any time, Bon." He told her.


	4. You Always Get What You Want

**Chapter Four:**

 **You Always Get What You Want**

"Put out a front then you get knocked down. Every time you run it follows you around." Atomic Tom.

* * *

Bonnie awoke the next morning to a knock on her door.

"Bonnie? Are you up yet?" Caroline asked through the door. Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut, rubbed them with one hand and propped herself up on her other.

"You can come in, Care." She responded. The door opened and Caroline entered the room carrying a tray of breakfast. Bonnie smiled at her friend in a way that told her she didn't need to have made her breakfast.

"Good morning!" Caroline exclaimed as she came to a stop next Bonnie's bed.

"You didn't need to bring me breakfast, Care." Bonnie said, scooting over to make room for Caroline to sit down. Caroline waved her hand at Bonnie and sat down, placing the tray on the bed.

"Its nothing too fancy. Just some toast and oatmeal." Caroline said. Bonnie took the coffee from the tray first and breathed a sigh of relief as she drank from it with two clasped hands. Caroline raised her eyebrows at her friend. "Addicted, much?" Bonnie glared at her. "So, Elena told me about where you went last night." Caroline continued, gingerly. Bonnie gulped and she suddenly was very fascinated by the pattern on the duvet cover.

"I didn't mean to cause a scene." Bonnie said quietly. Caroline smiled at her friend.

"None of us judge you, Bonnie." Caroline took a deep breath. "We've all lost people. We know." She said warmly. Bonnie nodded. "I want you know how much it means to me that you went to see him." She told Bonnie quietly. Bonnie pursed her lips.

"I can't stay angry at the dead." Bonnie said. Caroline nodded. "I forgave him, a while ago I think, but it's a different thing entirely to forgive him in person. I had to, to move forward with my life. I can't be this person anymore. This sad shadow of who I used to be." Bonnie said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you." Caroline said with a wide smile that didn't go all the way to her eyes. "I'm so glad you've forgiven him. For him and for you. I want to see you happy again. After everything we've been through, you deserve so much happiness." Bonnie's tears overflowed and she wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands. After a few minutes of silence while Bonnie finished her breakfast, Bonnie sat back against her pillows.

"So what's the plan for today?" Bonnie asked, putting her empty oatmeal bowl back on the tray.

"Well, I was hoping that I could show you around the classrooms we've set up." Caroline suggested with an encouraging smile. Bonnie nodded.

"Okay, sure." Bonnie said, sitting forward in bed again. "Should I meet you downstairs in, say half an hour?" Caroline stood up.

"Sure. I'll see you then." Caroline left the room and Bonnie stood up.

"My first day as a teacher...what on Earth do I wear?" She asked the empty room absent-mindedly.

* * *

Bonnie donned her best teacher's attire - ankle high, lace-up boots, black jeans, a navy blouse and grey blazer - and headed out of her room to the stairs to meet Caroline. Caroline was already waiting for her when she got there.

"Hey! Okay, so your classroom is down the hall here." Caroline took off in the opposite direction to to the front door. Soon they stopped outside a dark room. Caroline gestured for Bonnie to enter first. Bonnie peeked inside and went to turn on the light switch, but found it didn't work. Caroline sighed.

"It's very...' _Freya_ '." Caroline said, indicating she didn't approve of the decor. "She hated unnatural light. So the lights don't work, but there are plenty of candles, and if you need more, please let me know." Bonnie flicked her finger tips and all of the candles in the room lit up. Caroline smiled.

Bonnie spun around to take in the room. Once all of the candles were lit, the room illuminated nicely. There were pots filled with herbs, plenty of mixing bowls, ancient talismans and natural stones all over the room. It had a very ancient and gothic feel to it. Bonnie almost approved. She instantly wanted to make the room feel more 'Earthy' than 'Harry Potter' though.

"I like it. I probably will make a few changes, but its nice." Bonnie said. Caroline smiled and clasped her hands together tightly in front of her chest, squealing slightly.

"I'm so excited to have you here, Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed, pouncing on and hugging her friend tightly. Bonnie laughed at Caroline's seemingly limitless energy.

"I actually feel excited to be here too." Bonnie said as Caroline pulled away. "It's nice to have a reason to get up in the morning." Bonnie said with a smile. Then she realised how depressing that sounded and laughed. "Wow. Apparently its also making me realise how truly sad my life has become." Bonnie said, nodding her head, pursing her lips as she finished. Caroline laughed and hugged her again.

"Do you have any questions or anything?" Caroline asked. Bonnie thought for a moment.

"What other classes do you teach?" Bonnie asked. "Aside from magic, of course."

"Well, there's regular things, like math, history, reading and writing. Most of our students aren't able to attend regular schools. Ric teaches math and history. I teach reading and writing, and deal with the admin stuff. Jeremy teaches self defence. Matt and I teach self-control and respect for non-supernaturals. And both Jeremy and Ric teach magical objects - its sort of a strange class. They teach the kids about magical items and weapons to the older kids. Dorian takes kids for history of the occult if they want, too." Caroline finished. Bonnie was impressed.

"Wow. That's some syllabus." Bonnie said. Caroline exhaled sharply, nodding.

"Yeah, we're still ironing out the kinks and working out what we're missing. Its been really helpful to think back on all the times we needed information to fight, and how we can provide that information to the kids in case they ever need it. Mostly, that fits into those classes, but we're constantly learning how to do things better, so if you think of anything, please tell us." Caroline replied. Bonnie nodded.

"Of course." Bonnie said. "So how many students do you have?"

"Currently, you'll have 6 students, including my girls. The youngest is just 4 and the eldest is 16." Bonnie looked shocked at teaching magic to a four year old. Sensing this, Caroline continued. "I know. 4 is young. But she wants to learn. She has an older sister, who's 8 and, like the twins, has been kicked out of every school she's ever been to. We don't teach her the full on stuff. Mostly, it's just the basics. Freya taught her how to make a rosebush flower magically. You know, things like that." Bonnie smiled and nodded. "You'll meet them all on Monday."

"Are there more students who just aren't witches?" Bonnie asked. Caroline nodded excitedly.

"Honestly, we have _so_ many more students than we expected. We have students coming from miles around who's parents have heard about us. Many supernatural families are moving nearby so that their kids can come to school. It's _incredible_. In total, there are 18 kids that come, but not all come everyday." Bonnie's eye widened.

"That's incredible, Care." Bonnie said, smiling warmly at her friend. Caroline smiled a toothy smile.

"Of course, it does have its down sides." Caroline continued. "That's the reason why Damon and Elena can't come by during the week. We don't want to run the risk of other supernaturals finding out about the cure." Bonnie looked concerned. She hadn't thought of that.

"Surely that's still a risk. I mean, they live so close by." Bonnie said with her brows furrowed. Caroline nodded.

"We know. We haven't had any problems yet. We're all very careful." Bonnie nodded, unsure of how she felt, but dropped the subject.

* * *

Soon Caroline left Bonnie in the classroom to begin moving things around to make the room feel more like her own. Bonnie braced her hands before her, preparing to levitate some shelves around when she heard a faint hum of music coming through the wall. She tilted her head to one side, recognising Atomic Tom - one of Jeremy's favourite bands from high school. She smiled and left the room to go in search of the music source. She didn't have to go far. It got louder as she left her room and she realised it was coming from the room next door, the door to which was open. Bonnie stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Jeremy nod along to the music as he sorted through crossbows, pairing them to their bolts. She lent her head against the doorway and folded her arms, taking in his happiness. Bonnie was so glad he had seemingly found his calling in life. Then, he turned and noticed her standing there. He smiled widely at her, embarrassed at his nodding and light singing along to 'You Always Get What You Want'.

"Bonnie." He greeted her, turning around to the desk behind him to turn the music down slightly.

"Hey, Jer." She replied. Bonnie entered the office and started to walk around its perimeter, looking at all of the weapons and magical objects that weakened her kind, and other supernatural beings.

"How are you doing?" Jeremy asked her, walking up behind her and brushing her shoulder with his left hand supportively. Bonnie took a deep breath, remembering her meltdown.

"I'm a lot better this morning." She said, turning to face him. "Thank you for bringing me back." Bonnie told him sincerely. Jeremy nodded.

"Of course. I wasn't going to leave you there." He gave a short laugh. Bonnie smiled.

"Still, thanks." Bonnie added, still inspecting instruments that lined the walls of his office. Jeremy nodded and picked up a crossbow to put it back on its shelf. A stray stake rolled off of his desk as he turned to the shelf. Bonnie walked over and picked it up.

* * *

 _Bonnie arrived at Mystic Falls High, closing her car door with difficulty, her arms laden with books and her school bag. As she stepped onto the curb, one of her notebooks dropped to the ground, and then another. As she knelt down to pick them up, she heard a gruff laugh from out of her frame of vision. Without looking, she knew who that laugh belonged to._

 _"Here, I got it." Jeremy said with a laugh, kneeling down beside her. Bonnie looked up at him and laughed at herself. As he reached in front of her to pick up the book, Bonnie took in his handsome side profile._

 _"Thanks." She said._

 _"Here." Jeremy said, standing up with a groan._

 _"Where's Elena?" Bonnie asked. Jeremy looked taken aback, suddenly remembering that he was still just Elena's little brother._

 _"She's, um." He paused, still coming to that realisation. "She's actually running late today." Immediately wanting to cement some more alone time with Bonnie, Jeremy continued. "What are you doing later? You want to hang out at the Grill, shoot some pool? The winner owns the table." Bonnie hesitated._

 _"Uh, why?" She asked, but unable to hide her smile._

 _"Why what?" Jeremy asked, still smiling, but now unsure._

 _"Well, you never asked me to play a game of pool before, so why now?" Bonnie asked coyly._

 _"Uh, I don't know. I thought it'd be fun. Never mind." Jeremy replied, feeling hurt._

 _"No!" Bonnie exclaimed, reaching for his arm to stop him from walking away. "Hey, okay. Sure. It's just…" She said, trailing off. Jeremy looked at her coyly._

 _"Just what?" He pressured. Bonnie felt awkward. How could she tell him without hurting his feelings, but still show that she wanted to go._

 _"It's just you're Elena's brother, and…" Jeremy guffawed. "Sure." Jeremy couldn't hide his grin. Bonnie smiled and then grew serious. "It's just, I'm really bad at pool." Jeremy looked cocky._

 _"Yeah, yeah. I thought you might be."_

* * *

Looking at the stake, she noticed stains on it. Jeremy placed the crossbow on the shelf and turned back to face her. She held the stake out to him. Jeremy reached out his hands to take it from her, his gaze not leaving her eyes.

"Thanks." He said as she placed it in his hands. Their hands brushed and both of them pulled away. Bonnie took a step backwards.

"I should get back to my classroom. I'm doing some moving around to make it feel a bit more Gaia and a bit less Harry Potter's dungeon." Jeremy laughed, placing the stake on another nearby shelf. He turned back to face her.

"If you need a hand moving anything, just let me know. I'll be here. I have a bunch of lessons to plan for this week." He said. Bonnie grinned.

"Witch, remember?" She said coyly. Jeremy nodded, feeling stupid. "Thanks, Jer." She said before leaving the room.


	5. Light Love

**Chapter Five:**

 **Light Love**

"You can do what you wanna do. What they say, don't listen to." Free Energy.

* * *

Jeremy finished his Tuesday lesson plan and then looked at his watch.

"Fuck." He muttered, slamming his pen down. It was 5.30 pm. The others would be heading to the Grill in half an hour. Jeremy stood abruptly and strode from his office, closing the heavy wooden door as he went. As he did, he realised that a soft glow was coming from Bonnie's classroom. He stepped into the doorframe. Bonnie was arranging pot plants of various herbs and flowers on a shelf along the back wall.

"Look great." Jeremy stated from the doorway. Bonnie stood suddenly, surprised by his voice. Her head hit the shelf above her head with a solid bang. Jeremy winced. "You okay there, Bon?" He asked gingerly. Bonnie laughed and rubbed her head.

"I'm fine." She told him. "And thanks." She added, still with a smile on her face at her own misfortune. Jeremy smirked and nodded out into the hallway.

"We should get a move on. It's Saturday." He told her. Bonnie looked confused. She had known it was Saturday for some time now. "We have dinner at the Grill on Saturdays." He finished. Bonnie nodded.

"That sounds fun." She said with a smile, walking over to her desk and picking up her blazer. Bonnie paused to look at Jeremy as he stood in the doorway watching her. They both smiled and then seemed to remember themselves. Jeremy turned out into the hallway, but he looked back just in time for him to see Bonnie raise her hands in the air. As they lowered, the candles in the room went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"I will never get tired of seeing you do that." He told her with a smile. Bonnie emerged from the darkness into the hallway with a coy smile.

"Let's find Care." Bonnie suggested, folding her blazer over her arm and heading for the stairs.

* * *

"God, it's been years since I've been to the Grill." Bonnie said with a smile. Her and Caroline were in the kitchen as Caroline prepared dinner for the girls. Chantelle, the chef, had Saturdays off and their nanny was coming over. Caroline's smile widened as she loosened the lid on the container of leftover dinner she had frozen for her girls'. She smelt it and then put the lid back on.

"It hasn't changed much." She replied, spinning on the spot to put the container in the fridge to defrost. "At least, I don't think so. We go every Saturday night." Caroline closed the fridge and turned back to face Bonnie who was bent over the kitchen counter with her chin resting on her hands. "You know how it's hard when you see something all the time to notice how much it's changed." Bonnie nodded.

"Definitely." She said.

* * *

Elena sat opposite Caroline at a table near the bar. She watched Bonnie and Damon talking and laughing as they sat on barstools, drinking their matching whiskey on the rocks - without the rocks.

"I'm worried about her." Elena said suddenly. Caroline had been staring at the doorway, remembering what had to be the world's most awkward double date all those years before, with Elena, Stefan and Matt. She snapped to attention and looked at Elena questioningly. "Bonnie." Elena explained, seeing Caroline's confusion. "It's been over four years since Enzo died and she's still having breakdowns."

"Losing the love of your life is life changing, Elena." Caroline said sadly, now also watching their best friend. Elena shook her head.

"But you're doing so well and Stefan was your husband." Elena pushed. Caroline shrugged slightly.

"I've been here, dealing with it, and seeing reminders of him everywhere, everyday." Caroline said, strained. Elena suddenly noticed just how exhausted Caroline sounded recounting that. "Maybe that helps?" Caroline asked rhetorically. Then Caroline tuned out. If it was four years since Enzo's death, then it was four years since Stefan's very soon. She glanced at her empty ring finger. Elena noticed and covered Caroline's hand with her own.

"He's still here." Elena said warmly, giving Caroline goosebumps. Caroline pursed her lips, holding in her tears and took a deep breath. If only she had known that Stefan was indeed with them, even at that very moment. He stood, as always, on the periphery - a spectator to what could have been his life.

"I am." He muttered, watching his wife intently. Lexi suddenly appeared next to him and threaded her arm through his. She gestured with her head for them to go, and with one step, they turned and vanished.

* * *

Bonnie was perched on her barstool, leaning on her right elbow on the bar. Damon sat to her left, mirroring her posture in the opposite direction. Their free hands held their identical glasses filled with identical scotch. Bonnie glanced around, taking in the bar that had served as second home to them all for so long. Her eyes came to rest on the pool table in the corner. _Their_ pool table. It was the one they had always used.

* * *

 _Bonnie was playing pool at the Mystic Grill with Jeremy. The same pool table they always played at; the one at the back. She lined up the shot carefully, trying desperately to appear to be better at the game than she was. With an empty clang, her cue hit the side of the ball, making it roll to the side aimlessly. Jeremy laughed lightly and came up along side her to take his shot._

 _"You are bad." He said bluntly. Bonnie pouted._

 _"I told you!" She exclaimed, taking a step back from the table. As Jeremy bent over the table to line up his shot, he glanced at her cheekily._

 _"Well, feel free to cheat if you need your dignity back." Bonnie knelt down beside him, pushing her face in close towards his in an attempt to distract him. He raised his arm defensively, determined to take the shot._

 _"Come on, hit the ball!" She challenged with a laugh, falling into his side. He laughed and shook his head. Once she stood, he finally took his shot._

* * *

Bonnie took a swig from her glass and put it back down again with a sigh. Damon looked concerned for his friend.

"How are you doing, Bon Bon?" He asked sincerely. Bonnie took a deep breath, spinning the golden liquid around in her glass to keep herself busy.

"I feel better because I finally feel like I've forgiven Stefan." Bonnie paused. Damon smiled and his right hand abandoned his whiskey to rub her left forearm tenderly.

"I'm glad." He said, smiling warmly at her. Bonnie gulped.

"But it's the guilt at wanting to move on that's killing me at the moment." Bonnie's bottom lip began to tremble and so she pulled away from Damon's grasp and took a rushed swig of her whiskey. Damon went back to swirling his whiskey in his glass.

"You know that Enzo would just want you to be happy, right?" Damon asked her. Bonnie nodded.

"I know that, logically. But the guilt just keeps on coming anyway." Bonnie glanced briefly over at Jeremy, who was sitting further down the bar, talking to Matt and Ric. Damon didn't miss a beat and looked over his left shoulder to follow her gaze. He turned back to Bonnie and grinned

"Is that guilt because you find yourself moving on?" He asked. Bonnie looked horrified. Damon sat back on his stool and raised his hands up in defence. "Okay, okay. Just trying to understand." He paused and took another swig of his whiskey and Bonnie did the same. "But in case you are interested, he's been looking over this way pretty regularly too." Bonnie rolled her eyes and punched Damon's upper arm. "Hey that hurts me now! I'm human, remember?" He exclaimed.

* * *

Jeremy, Matt and Ric were drinking their umpteenth beer each at the bar. Jeremy could feel the familiar numbness in his face that began after too many beers. Saturday nights could get quite messy. Ric was laughing at Matt's story about a new cadet he had met that day.

"You have zero game, Matt." Ric accused, laughing. Matt looked exasperated and took another swig from his beer bottle.

"Like you would do any better?" Matt pointed out, also laughing. Ric laughed louder.

"We should totally go out drinking one night." Ric suggested. Jeremy looked confused and picked up his beer bottle.

"What do you call this that we're doing right now?" Jeremy asked sarcastically, swirling his beer bottle around before taking another swig. Ric rolled his eyes.

"I mean to the club!" Ric exclaimed. Matt and Jeremy both simultaneously almost choked on their beer.

"No way." Matt said. "We're too old for that stuff." He said, setting his beer down loudly on the bar. Jeremy was shaking his head.

"Oh, come on!" Ric continued, raising his hands questioningly at his friends. "How else are we going to meet women? We spend _all day_ with minors and ex-girlfriends." Matt raised his eyebrows at Ric. "Well, except for Matt here, who is lucky enough to get to arrest women sometimes." The three of them laughed.

The bartender left them two more shots each on the bar that Ric had ordered a few minutes earlier. They each set their beers down and took a shot in each hand, raising them to cheers. They cheered loudly and took two shots each in quick succession. Matt was the first to slam his empty shot glasses on the bar.

"Okay fine. Let's do it!" He exclaims, more than slightly drunk now. The three of them cheered and raised their beer bottles to cheers again. Jeremy glanced over at Bonnie for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour, and their eyes met, he held his beer up in her direction and she shook her head with a smile, but raised her own glass of whiskey back at him. Bonnie recognised Jeremy's drunk face.

Ric, Matt and Jeremy stood and staggered over to where Caroline and Elena were sitting a few tables away. Ric lent over Caroline and looked guilty. Caroline just looked back at him, confused.

"Is it okay if you put the girls to bed tonight so that we can go out?" He asked sweetly. Matt and Jeremy stood behind him, smiling at Caroline. Caroline looked at the three of them in surprise. She was about to nod when Elena spoke up.

"If Damon goes too, we can have a girls' night! Its been so long since we've done one of those!" Elena said with a huge grin. Caroline's mouth gaped and she squealed.

"Yes! Go! Yay! Girls' night!" Caroline shrieked.

Damon heard his name and he trailed off mid-sentence before hopping off of his stool to go over to his fiancé. Bonnie followed her friend over to Elena and Caroline's table, which Ric, Jeremy and Matt now surrounded.

"You summoned?" He asked in his best Lurch impersonation, hugging Elena from behind and kissing her cheek. She nuzzled into him.

 _"You_ have a play date." She said. Damon looked confused. Ric caught his eye and winked.

"Uh oh." Damon said. "What have you gotten me into?" He asked Elena.

"We're going clubbing, buddy!" Drunk Ric exclaimed. Caroline raised her eyebrows at her ex-fiancé. Then turned to Bonnie.

"Girls' night?" Caroline asked, with a toothy grin. Bonnie squealed and jumped on the spot, clapping.

"Of course!" She exclaimed.

* * *

Caroline was tucking the girls into bed and seeing the nanny off. Elena and Bonnie were already in pyjamas. Elena had borrowed a pair of Bonnie's pyjamas and they were sitting on the lounge in the Salvatore sitting room by the fireplace. Bonnie found herself staring at the flickering firelight. She was suddenly reminded of the nights she used to spend tucked up in Enzo's arms in front of the fire. She smiled at the memory. But then she noticed that Elena was staring at her sadly.

"I'm okay." Bonnie said, with a smile. "That was a happy memory." Elena nodded.

"That's good." Elena smiled. "But sometimes the happy memories can hurt the most." Bonnie swallowed. She was right. And right on queue Bonnie felt the familiar pang in her chest for Enzo and what felt like her past life.

* * *

Jeremy, Matt, Ric and Damon walked up to the door of the only nightclub in Mystic Falls. There was no queue to get in and the bouncer took their ID cards successively and then ushered them inside. Inside, they were surrounded by people who were mostly much younger than they were. After buying two drinks each at the bar, the four of them found a booth in the corner of the club and sat down to continue drinking. After finishing their first drink, Ric dragged Matt to the bar to get more drinks for the table, but twenty minutes later it appeared they weren't coming back. Jeremy and Damon sat opposite each other unable to talk easily because of the vibrating music that was playing. Jeremy noticed Ric chatting, or more likely yelling, with a girl who looked about 10 years younger than him. He then found Matt dancing sloppily with a girl on the dance floor a few feet from Ric. Jeremy snickered to himself and then reached over to poke Damon, nodding his head in their direction. Damon turned around to look. He turned back to Jeremy and shook his head with a laugh.

"You go join them!" Damon shouted at Jeremy across the table. "I'll get drinks." Jeremy wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

"Not in the mood!" Jeremy shouted in reply. Damon gave him a knowing look. Jeremy shrugged at him. "What?" Damon stood from his seat and mouthed 'nothing' back at Jeremy, clapping his hand on Jeremy's shoulder as he headed to the bar. Jeremy stood and followed Damon. On their way to the bar, they noticed that both Ric and Matt were dancing with the same two girls now. They found seats at the bar and sat down.

* * *

After a couple of hours of sitting at the bar, Jeremy and Damon had drunk an obscene amount of alcohol. Jeremy slammed his glass down on the bar a little too hard, smashing it by accident. Suddenly a big, burly security guard tapped Jeremy on the shoulder and he turned around. He leant down to Jeremy's ear and yelled.

"You need to leave!" Jeremy stood up and Damon turned around. "Now!" Shouted the guard. Damon stood up to intervene, but another security guard walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You together?" The second guard shouted at Damon. Damon nodded. The first guard grabbed Jeremy's shoulder and tried to forcibly remove him from the club. Damon pushed the guard.

"Hey! Watch it!" The guard shouted back. Before they knew what was happening, both Damon and Jeremy were outside of the club while their friends danced away inside.

"So much nicer out here anyway!" Damon shouted at the bouncer who had let them inside earlier that night. Jeremy laughed and followed Damon over to the town square. They found themselves sitting on Liz's memorial bench. Damon pulled out his phone to text Ric and Matt to say where they were but they got no response.

"We should wait for them." Jeremy said. So they sat on the bench in silence for a few minutes. Damon suddenly looked over at Jeremy with a grin.

"So, why are you in a mood?" He asked. Before Jeremy could respond, Damon continued. "Does it by any chance have something to do with a certain witchy friend coming back into our lives?" Jeremy let out a snort of laughter.

"No way." Damon just stared at him, still grinning. Jeremy got annoyed. "Is that what you were talking with her about?" Jeremy demanded. Damon smiled.

"Maybe." He said, still smirking, clearly thinking he had done Jeremy a favour. Jeremy was now furious.

"What the _hell_ Damon?" He exclaimed, standing up to pace in front of the bench. "She's still _so_ torn up over Enzo that she's had _two_ breakdowns since she got back! Do you have any idea the amount of guilt she'd feel after accusations like that?" Damon's smirk disappeared. "Don't you remember what that was like while Elena was in the coffin? What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Jeremy ran both of his hands through his hair exasperated. His face was red from drinking so much. Damon just sat there, staring off into the distance. He suddenly felt bad, realising he could have really upset Bonnie. "Where the _hell_ are those two?" Jeremy asked, taking out his phone. "I just want to get home." All Jeremy wanted to do was make sure Bonnie wasn't upset after Damon's 'favour'. He hurriedly typed another message to both Ric and Matt saying they wanted to go home. After another few minutes, Matt finally replied saying that he and Ric would find their way home later. Jeremy requested an Uber on his phone and the two of them left in silence.

* * *

Caroline, Bonnie and Elena were sitting around the Salvatore lounge room in pyjamas, drinking champagne straight from the bottle. They had spent the evening laughing and reminiscing about high school.

"I was always _so_ jealous of you when you and Stefan were together." Caroline admitted to Elena. "I'd always had a crush on him, right from day one." Elena smiled and nodded. Bonnie nodded along too.

"Yeah, we knew." Elena said with a smile. Caroline looked shocked. "It was a _hardly_ a secret, Caroline."

"You didn't hide it well, Care." Bonnie said with a smile. They laughed.

"Well did you know that it never went away?" Bonnie tilted her head to the side and Elena shook her head. "Even between Matt, Tyler, and the momentary lapse in sanity that was Klaus." Caroline laughed. Elena and Bonnie raised their eyebrows at each other.

"Just _momentary_ , huh?" Asked Bonnie with a coy smile. Elena laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, so _who_ sends you love letters every few months?" Elena asked coyly. Caroline's mouth fell open. She picked up a cushion in each hand and hurled one at each of the girls laughing.

"Those are _donations_ to the _school_!" Caroline exclaimed as her friends laughed. "Anyway, like you can talk _Miss Gilbert_! You fell in love with Damon while you were still with the _younger_ Salvatore!" Caroline accused. Elena pursed her lips and looked guilty. Caroline for a brief moment thought that she might have gone too far, but Elena tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment, before nodding.

"I did. He just snuck up on me." She smiled, remembering their first kiss. Then she raised her bottle of champagne into the air. "So, Bonnie, how does it feel to be the only one of us left with a moral compass when it comes to dating?" Bonnie laughed.

"In my defence, that's only because there was a long time between drinks, if you get what I'm saying." Elena and Caroline laughed. "I was also somewhat preoccupied with being dead or trapped in a prison world with your not-so-momentary lapse in sanity." She added, gesturing to Elena and took another swig of her champagne bottle. The girls laughed.

"So if it was a long time between drinks, who was which cocktail?" Caroline asked cheekily. Elena's mouth fell open and then she burst out laughing. Bonnie laughed and thought for a moment while the other two watched her eagerly.

"Jeremy was like a fire engine." Bonnie said slowly with a nod. The Caroline laughed, but Elena looked slightly grossed out.

"Do we even want to know?" Elena asked through her disturbed laughs.

"You know." Bonnie stated, shrugging a little at her friends. "It's the first drink you learn to love. It's sweet and easy to drink - kind of like cool aid that my mom used to make. Reminds you of home and innocence." The girls nodded and then Caroline grinned.

"It's red, the colour of passion?" She asked coyly. Bonnie gaped at her and threw the cushion back at Caroline.

"Gross!" Elena exclaimed, taking an extra long swig of her drink. The other girls laughed at her.

"But Enzo was like a fine wine." The other girls grew quiet and sombre. Bonnie stared into the flickering flames in the fireplace again. "One day you just realise that you've grown, not just to stomach it, but you actually love it and the depth it has gained with age. It's sweet and savoury all at the same time. And only gets stronger." Bonnie trailed off, taking a long drink from her bottle of champagne. They sat in silence for a brief moment.

"I'm so glad we're doing this." Caroline stated, breaking the silence. "It's been way too long." That moment, Jeremy walked in. "Oh, your fire engine is here!" Caroline exclaimed, raising her bottle of champagne at Jeremy. Jeremy looked equal parts confused and concerned. Bonnie glared at Caroline and then glanced quickly at Jeremy who was staring at her. Bonnie blushed and suddenly focused on her champagne. Jeremy still looked very confused as to what he had walked in on. He stood there for a moment, but when Bonnie wouldn't look at him, he left for bed. Then Damon entered the room.

Elena rose her arms in his direction from across the room. He smiled at her, feeling his peripheral vision fall away as she filled his thoughts. He walked over to her and swept her up off of the floor.

"Let's go find a room." He whispered with a coy grin as she tucked her legs around his back and he carried her from the room. Caroline rolled her eyes, downed the rest of her bottle of champagne and then staggered up into a standing position.

"I'm going to bed. You know where your room is." She gestured to everyone with a vague wave of her hand before leaving room.


	6. Amen Omen

**Chapter Six:**

 **Amen Omen**

"I don't know where you came from and I don't know where you've gone. Old friends become old strangers between the darkness and the dawn." Ben Harper.

* * *

Bonnie awoke the next morning in a blur, with her bedroom ceiling spinning above her. She groaned loudly and rolled over, not realising how close she already was to the edge of the bed. Before she knew it, she was on the floor with a sore coccyx.

"Ouch!" Bonnie exclaimed, hissing and squeezing her hands to her sore behind. Then her head started to pound. Bonnie groaned again and snapped her hands from her sore behind to her sore head, squeezing her temporals tightly. She licked her dry lips and, remembering the amount of alcohol she'd had to drink, she noticed the furry taste in her mouth. She stood up gingerly, her coccyx still throbbing from her fall, and headed for the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, her now smudged eyeliner stained under her eyes and her hair was bushy from sleeping in hair spray.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bonnie felt a bit better, having showered and washed her hair. She got into fresh clothes - just harem pants and a tank top - grabbed her satin dressing gown and slipped on her pink satin slippers before heading downstairs quietly in search of water. The halls upstairs were quiet and she padded as quietly as possible down the creaky staircase. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear talking and laughter. She squinted through her migraine at the sudden noise as she entered the kitchen.

Damon was standing at the stove, making his famous fang-cake pancakes, swaying in time to a song only he could hear. Elena sat on the bench beside the stove, her feet linked around one of Damon's thighs, keeping him close to her. Bonnie smiled and then grinned seeing Ric and Matt sitting on stools side by side at the island bench. Matt was resting his face on the bench and hugging a jug of water with both arms. Ric looked much the same, but with a bucket on his lap - thankfully empty. Jeremy was sitting on the bench by the coffee machine, drinking coffee from a soup mug and looked very chipper considering the amount Bonnie knew he had drunk the night, and morning before. Elena noticed Bonnie first.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" Elena exclaimed and beckoned for Bonnie to join her. Bonnie smiled at Jeremy on her way past him to stop beside Damon. She put an arm around her friend's waist, peering at the fang-cakes already on a plate beside the stove.

"So many? Especially considering that two of us don't look that much up to eating just yet." Bonnie said with a sly grin at Ric and Matt behind her. Only Matt acknowledged her comment, raising his middle finger at her, but maintaining his grip on the jug of water. Damon, Jeremy and Elena chuckled at her comment.

"Morning, Bon Bon." Damon said with a smile at her. "Making your favourite!" Bonnie gave his waist a squeeze and looked up to see Elena smiling at her. Bonnie smiled back. Bonnie turned to see Jeremy take two more sips of his giant mug of coffee.

"How come you're so perky?" She asked curiously. Jeremy grinned.

"Oh I threw up not long after you went to bed." He said casually, taking another sip of coffee. Bonnie laughed, but as she did, a throbbing pain shot through her head.

"I need coffee." She said dramatically. Jeremy placed his soup mug down on the bench and reached up behind his head to pull out another soup mug. He put it under the dripper on the coffee machine and pressed the 'go' button.

"Oh, you're like magic!" Bonnie exclaimed, sitting up on the counter beside Jeremy, opposite to the machine. Jeremy laughed. Ric groaned loudly.

"No more lame jokes this morning please. They're making my nausea worse." He said painfully, lowering his face back over his bucket.

"Oh suck it up, man. Throw up. You'll feel much better." Jeremy told him with a laugh. Bonnie's coffee finished and Jeremy grabbed it and passed it to her.

"Is the milk out?" She asked. Before Jeremy could reply, Damon, who'd used it for the fang-cake mix, swung a bottle of it high over his head, passing it to Jeremy, who plonked it onto the counter between them. "Seriously. Magic." Bonnie said, pouring milk into her coffee. Ric groaned again and the others laughed.

Then Caroline breezed in, fully dressed and clearly much more ready to 'person' than any of the others were as yet.

"The table is set and the girls are ready for their fang-cakes now. Are they nearly ready?" Caroline asked Damon. Damon shrugged.

"You can't rush art, Forbes." He said mock-sternly. Caroline eyed Jeremy and Bonnie with a smile.

"Bonnie, I was hoping to talk to you today about class programs." Caroline said seriously, choosing to ignore Damon's non-answer. Bonnie nodded, gulping another mouthful of coffee down, feeling her migraine dissipating.

"Sure." Bonnie responded. Caroline came in and stood before her expectantly. Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean now?" Caroline nodded. "Well, I found some of Freya's notes in my desk so I'll be careful not to double-up on anything. I was going to spend today working on lesson plans." Caroline nodded, so Bonnie continued. "I was thinking I'd probably start with a few basic tracking spells - finding a lost toy or something along those lines for the youngest witch." Caroline was still nodding at Bonnie, clearly wanting more. "Then I was thinking that we could move onto herb identification and their uses. Have you thought about setting up a greenhouse? So we could have access to our own herbs?"

Caroline thought for a moment, surprised that they hadn't thought of this before. Freya had a contact in New Orleans who could send them any herbs that they wanted or needed, so they'd never had to plant their own.

"That is actually a brilliant idea, Bonnie Bennett!" Caroline exclaimed, grabbing her friend by the shoulders excitedly. Bonnie grinned. "Klaus' next donation cheque is on its way and I was thinking that I would offer it to you for anything you might need to set up your classroom." Caroline withdrew from her friend and suddenly looked demure. "If you wanted to stay, that is." Bonnie smiled.

"I don't plan to leave yet." Bonnie said warmly. Jeremy, who had been listening to Matt's hangover complaints and trying to look disinterested, couldn't contain his smile. Caroline glanced at him and smiled knowingly.

* * *

Bonnie spent that afternoon in her classroom, sorting through Freya's notes on each of the students and the various spells they had covered. Bonnie grew to realise just how little time had been spent on herb knowledge and became more determined to set up a greenhouse.

"What good is it teaching young witches how to make a flower bloom instantly if they don't know what they can use that flower for?" Bonnie exclaimed out loud, in exasperation.

"Aesthetic purposes?" A voice came from the doorway. Bonnie recognised the voice immediately and looked up at the door to her classroom. Jeremy had his arms folded over thick file he was holding. Bonnie smiled at him, putting her papers down on the desk. "How are you going? Ready for tomorrow?" Jeremy asked her from the doorway. Bonnie let out a deep breath, glancing at her desk covered with papers. Jeremy smiled. "Nervous?" He asked. Bonnie nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"So nervous." She said quietly. Jeremy shook his head and walked into the room. He put his file down on the desk nearest Bonnie's, took the chair from behind it and spun it around to face Bonnie directly. He sat down on it almost defiantly, his arms folded over its back, resting his head on his forearms.

"You're the most patient, gentle person I know, Bonnie. You'll make an amazing teacher." He stated. Bonnie blushed.

"Have you done your lesson plans for the week?" She asked him, trying to deflect the attention away from herself. Jeremy shook his head, nodding in the direction of the file on the desk behind him.

"I thought we could have a study date. Like old times. I was thinking in my self-defence classroom?" He suggested with a smile. Bonnie clasped her hands together on her desk and lent forward smiling at him.

"I'd love that." She said. Jeremy picked up his file and waited while Bonnie gathered her things. She spent a good thirty seconds looking for a pen and blank paper on top of her desk and in her drawers. Jeremy watched her. He loved that after all of this time, he could still sense each thought as she had it by studying each delicate furrow in her brow, flexion in her lips and crinkle in her nose. He felt his chest tighten and rubbed his chest absent-mindedly, almost as if he was telling his heart ' _not yet, she's hurting_ '.

* * *

"Come in." Jeremy offered minutes later, gesturing to the heavy wooden door he had propped open for her. Bonnie stepped inside. "This is my self-defence classroom." He told her. Bonnie looked around in awe. The room was fitted out with yoga mats, shelves lined with stakes and crossbows, punching bags and climbing ropes hung from the ceiling, and a good old-fashioned weights machine stood in the back. Along the left hand wall was a row of dummies with target signs over their hearts - covered with what she assumed were stake holes.

"This is fantastic, Jer!" Bonnie exclaimed. She couldn't help but think this was why he looked so good - _kept in shape_. She'd meant _kept_ _in shape_. "Is this kind of like magical gym class?" She asked with a smirk. Jeremy laughed.

"Kind of, yeah." He answered with a chuckle. But then he pointed to the weights machine. "But we have muggle things too." Bonnie laughed at him. Jeremy leaned against the desk at the front of the room; the only piece of equipment in the room that suggested this was a classroom and not the training facility of a secret military operation.

Bonnie strolled around the room. Then she saw it. A pin-up board covered in photos. She smiled. Smiling back at her were so many familiar faces. Jenna, Tyler, John Gilbert, Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, Damon and Stefan, Stefan and Caroline kissing on their wedding day, Damon and Elena sprawled on a sofa that still sat in the downstairs sitting room, Jeremy and Anna, Matt and Vicky, Vicky and Jeremy, her grams and finally a photo of her and Jeremy taken when they were dating. He was stroking her face, his soft, loved up eyes watching her as she smiled for the camera. Bonnie smiled. All of these photos seemed so very long ago now. And some of them were. Jeremy put the folder down and walked up behind Bonnie, smiling at their friends' smiling faces.

"Seems like another life time, doesn't it?" He asked. Bonnie nodded, still staring at her own happy face in the picture of her and Jeremy on the Gilbert family sofa. She reached her hand out to touch her own face in the photo. Jeremy saw what she was looking at and she could feel him tense up, the tension in the air thickening instantly.

"We were so happy, weren't we?" She asked in a slow whisper. Jeremy swallowed.

"Yeah." He said quietly with a gulp. Although, Jeremy remembered it was a bit of a rocky start. His own insecurities about his being younger had plagued him heavily back then.

* * *

 _Jeremy was playing pool in the Grill. Bonnie was sitting at a table by the bar, sipping on her ginger beer. He had been sneaking looks at her for the past half an hour. They had made eye contact a few times, grinning stupidly at one another. After winning a particularly intense game against Michael Sherwood, a student in his grade at school, Jeremy turned to see Bonnie deep in conversation with Luka Martin. He watched them curiously. He was older than Jeremy was. Bonnie's own age. She laughed at something Luka said. Jeremy felt a pang in his chest. Bonnie had told him he was Elena's younger brother earlier that day. He should have known that was all he was ever going to be. Jeremy grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, throwing her one last look, hoping she would choose that moment to look for him and leave with him. But instead, she laughed heartily at Luka. Jeremy turned to go home._

* * *

"Like I said - another life time." Jeremy continued sadly. Bonnie nodded slowly.

"Its nice that you have this in here." Bonnie said, turning around to face Jeremy again. He looked down at her and nodded.

"I tell the kids that these photos remind me of my reasons to keep fighting." Jeremy told her. Bonnie smiled, shuffling to stand beside him and look at the photos.

"That's sweet."

* * *

Hours later, Caroline was walking past the classrooms, looking for Bonnie. As she drew nearer to her classroom she heard laughing. Using her vampire stealthiness, Caroline slowed her steps, lightening their sound on the wooden floors dramatically. She stood in the shadows, peering from the dark hallway into Jeremy's classroom and saw him sitting at his desk, with Bonnie beside him. Neither of them noticed her standing there. They were too busy. Caroline smiled warmly at the pair of them, laughing away at something that happened while she was out of even vampire earshot. Bonnie had stolen one of Jeremy's papers and was holding it out of reach.

"You've lost teaching privileges, Jeremy Gilbert." She said defiantly. Jeremy looked shocked and tried to grab it from her, reaching above her head, but Bonnie whisked it away.

"I didn't mean it, Bonnie, I promise!" He exclaimed, laughing. Bonnie was laughing, and being mock-angry.

"You did _not_ just compare me to a prickle bush!" She said sternly. Jeremy burst into laughter, still trying to reach around her to grab the paper. Caroline stifled a laugh from her place in the doorway, still hidden by the shadows.

"Hey, the prickle bush has a lot of uses apparently!" He stated, laughing. Bonnie couldn't help but laugh, but was still feigning anger as she stood up, holding the paper further out of his reach. Caroline smiled at her friends. Jeremy reached around Bonnie from both around her back and front, almost hugging her while trying to get the paper. Bonnie twisted and turned, trying to keep it from him but once Jeremy stood, he was far taller. He reached above her head to grab it from her. Bonnie sat down, with her arms folded, defeated. Jeremy laughed, making Bonnie look up at him. Within a moment, they are both laughing together.

"Wow." Bonnie stated once they had stopped laughing uncontrollably. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time." She massaged her cheeks that hurt from laughter. Jeremy smiled at her and they locked eyes for a moment. Bonnie rolled her lips together over her teeth, feeling a bit awkward. It was almost like they were 17 again. Jeremy, thinking the same thing, smiled at her.

"Neither have I." He said. Suddenly, she felt too awkward and snapped her gaze from his, tucking her hair behind her ear closest to him and shuffling her papers of lesson plans on her desk. Jeremy glanced down at his crumpled piece of paper outlining his lesson on staking positions. He smoothed it down, but it crinkled right back up again. He shrugged and then closed his file. "This was fun." He said. Bonnie nodded.

"It was." Bonnie agreed, but looked at him pleadingly. He gave a short laugh.

"What do you need?" He asked. Bonnie bit her bottom lip with a coy smile.

"I was hoping you would have a quick look at these for me." She told him, gesturing her lesson plans in his direction.

"Sure thing." He answered. Bonnie grinned.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" She responded gleefully. He opened the folder as Bonnie stood, wandering yet again over to the photo board to give Jeremy time to look over her lesson plans.

"These are really good, Bonnie." Jeremy told her earnestly a few minutes later. Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up from the papers to smile at her as he slid them all back into the folder.

"You really think so?" She asked hesitantly. Jeremy nodded. "Phew!" She exclaimed. "I actually feel a bit more prepared to teach these kids tomorrow." Bonnie said, sounding surprised. Jeremy started to gather his things together, putting on his jacket that was hung over his chair.

"I should head on up and see if Caroline needs help with anything. It must be nearly dinner time." Jeremy said. Bonnie took her folder from Jeremy's outstretched hand.

"If you give me a moment, I'll come too. I just need to stop past my room for a moment to drop off these notes. I want to look over them before bed later tonight." Jeremy shook his head at her in disbelief.

"You have nothing to be worried about, Bon." He told her sincerely. Bonnie shrugged at him.

"I just want to be prepared." Jeremy raised his eyebrows at her.

"Bonnie Bennett, you've been prepared for anything since you were like 6 years old." He said. Bonnie stuck her tongue out at him. Caroline laughed quietly from her place in the shadows, still watching them. She knew exactly the memory they were referring to.

* * *

 _A 6 year old Bonnie Bennett was walking down the street, heading for the Gilbert House. Out on the street in front of it, a 5 year old Jeremy Gilbert was sitting on the road, wearing a backpack. Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes were sitting by the fence, also wearing backpacks. The Gilberts were taking the kids to their lake-house for a retreat weekend and they had planned to go on a bush-walk. As she arrived, Elena and Caroline ran over to her and hugged her tightly. Caroline hugged her around her back, while Elena hugged her from the front. As a result, Caroline ended up hugging mostly backpack. She grimaced._

 _"What have you got in there?" She asked Bonnie loudly. Jeremy stood from the road, still wearing his backpack and headed over to the group. Bonnie looked confused._

 _"Just bush-walking things!" She said defensively. Caroline looked at both Elena and Jeremy._

 _"Like what? It hurt me!" Caroline pressed. She unzipped the backpack from its place on her back and began poking around inside it. Bonnie fought back at first, wanting her to stop but gave in once Caroline pulled out a bowl. "Why do you need a mixing bowl?" Caroline asked. Bonnie blushed._

 _"What if we find some berries and want to pick them!" Bonnie said. Elena and Jeremy laughed. Caroline put it back in her backpack and kept digging. Soon she pulled out a teddy bear. "That's Ms. Cuddles!" Caroline smiled and put the bear back in the backpack, instead pulling out a compact mirror._

 _"Why are you bringing make up?" She asked, confused. Bonnie snatched it from her and swung her backpack around to her chest, putting it away._

 _"It's not make up!" She exclaimed defensively. "It goes with my compass! So we don't get lost!"_

 _"That is a very smart thing to bring, young lady." Grayson Gilbert said, walking up behind the group of friends. He ruffled Jeremy's hair affectionately, making him flinch and try to flatten it again. "When you go on bush-walks, you must be prepared for anything." He exclaimed. Bonnie smiled and poked her tongue out at Caroline defiantly. Caroline looked shocked._

 _"Grams always says to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst." She said proudly. Grayson Gilbert smiled down at her and brushed her shoulder in a fatherly fashion._

 _"Your Grams is a very smart lady." He said. Bonnie nodded._

 _"I know."_

* * *

Jeremy laughed at adult Bonnie's childish face. Her tongue was poking out to the side of her mouth and her nose and forehead were crinkled as she screwed her face up at him.

"Yes. That's the face!" He exclaimed with a laugh. Bonnie put her tongue away again and laughed. The two of them headed for the door and Caroline took one last look at the pair of them before vamp-running away. Jeremy's eyes were hooded slightly, softened as they so often were while looking at Bonnie for as long as Caroline could remember. Bonnie's smile was wider than Caroline had seen in years. Even when she was with Enzo, she didn't laugh like this. As Caroline came to a halt in the kitchen, she paused for a moment, wondering what they had reminded her of. And then it came to her. She had seen their expressions like this before in a photograph. A photograph that hung on the wall in that very classroom. A photo of them as a young, new couple in love. Caroline smiled.


	7. No Way Out

**Chapter Seven:**

 **No Way Out**

"No one ever will love me better than your everlasting love. I found only one way in and no way out." Rie Sinclair.

* * *

As was customary around the Salvatore Boarding School, Damon, Elena and Matt joined the teaching staff for dinner on Sunday nights before leaving the property, and their friends, for a week while supernaturals took over the school grounds. Bonnie and Jeremy finished up their lesson plans for the week and after making a quick stop at Bonnie's room, they headed to the lounge for a drink before family dinner. Jeremy strode over to the bar and grabbed a whiskey tumbler, flipping it in his hand as he picked it up. Bonnie smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Ever the flair, Jer." She mumbled with a laugh. Jeremy smirked, looking unapologetic as he poured her a whiskey. He passed the now half-full glass to Bonnie with a smile as he grabbed himself an identical glass from the bar and pouring the very same drink. Bonnie stood and gestured to him in cheers from a meter away. Jeremy did the same.

"To my next big career move." Bonnie said with a smile. Jeremy nodded. "Hogwarts Professor." She finished. Jeremy laughed as they both took a small sip of the warm, smokey liquid gold. They headed to the lounge, where they sat on opposing couches. For a brief moment, they sat smiling at each other. Each of them remembering how much fun they had had earlier that afternoon, despite the fact that they were merely making lesson plans. Jeremy's eyes hooded over as his expression grew serious. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, they were interrupted.

"Hey Bon." Damon said from behind her, entering the lounge. He looked sheepish. Bonnie nodded in acknowledgement at him.

"Damon." She greeted with a smile. He hugged her around the shoulders from behind and then leaped over the back of the lounge chair to take a seat beside her. Jeremy stood and left the room to get some more clean glasses for pre-dinner drinks. Damon sighed, still looking at Bonnie with a sheepish smile.

"Bon, I'm sorry for what I said last night about you and Jeremy." He told her. " I thought I was helping but I know you're just not ready to be thinking about that yet." He continued. Bonnie smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's okay." She told him firmly. "I know you were just trying to help." Bonnie continued. "It's already forgotten." She promised him. Damon looked visibly relieved.

"Good. Cause Elena was furious when I told her." Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Why would you even tell her something like this?" Bonnie asked him incredulously. Damon shrugged.

"Talking about me?" Elena's voice came from behind Bonnie as a pair of hands covered her eyes. Bonnie laughed.

"Hey!" Bonnie replied and turned on her seat to hug her friend over the back of the couch. Elena laughed.

"I can't believe I get to see you every weekend now!" Elena exclaimed in joy, pulling away from Bonnie to walk around and take her own seat on the couch opposite. Bonnie smiled, realising how happy she was herself - a stark contrast to how she had felt when she returned to Mystic Falls for Elena and Damon's engagement party.

"I'm actually really glad I came home." Bonnie told them both earnestly. As she spoke, she glanced up at the doorway opposite her seat on the couch and saw Jeremy standing in the archway, his head resting contentedly against the wooden panelling as he smiled at the sight before him. Bonnie couldn't help it. She smiled back.

* * *

Bonnie's third night back in Mystic Falls was both similar and completely different to her first. The first night she had arrived, all she could focus on was those absent from their family dinner. This time, what struck her was the vibrant smiles and warmth of those present. Caroline's eyes positively glittered as she spoke loudly with Matt about Founders Day. Matt laughed at something she said, his laugh lines crinkling around his eyes jovially. Ric and Jeremy were having an animated discussion about one of their students, positively beaming with pride at the fact that this week he was finally sitting an exam that he hadn't felt confident enough for previously. Elena and Damon were speaking in hushed voices, both looking at Elena's left hand as Damon stroked the back of it tenderly. The chemistry between them practically spat fire. And while those missing were still eerily present, the gaping holes they had left behind seemed somewhat more full.

If Bonnie had looked closer, she would have seen Liz Forbes' hand resting on Caroline's shoulder with pride at her still-strong town pride. She might have noticed Stefan standing on the opposite side of the table from Caroline, watching her with a longing smile as the soft candle light of their dinner played havoc with the reflection of her hair, or caught him smile with pride at his older brother who was definitely capable of both love and happiness, like Stefan had thought all along. She might have witnessed the fleeting smile of Jo as she watched Ric discussing children he was proud of, or her eyes flickering over the young twins she had never got the chance to meet. She may have caught a glimpse of Tyler and Vicki holding hands as they stood protectively behind Matt, their best friend and brother who had achieved his dream as the town sheriff. She might have realised that Jenna stood between her niece and nephew with an arm around each of their shoulders and a warm smile on her face. And lastly, she may have caught a glimpse of the man she had loved with all her being, who remained in her life, right beside her, every step of the way.

* * *

After dinner that night, Bonnie was sitting out on the patio in a wicker chair, staring into the ominous woods. She had a glass of champagne in hand, dangling it loosely over the arm of her seat as she stared into the abyss.

"Mind if I join you?" Jeremy's voice sounded from behind her suddenly. Bonnie snapped to attention, turning her head to look up at his hopeful face. He was holding a half full bottle of champagne in his left hand and a an empty glass in his right. She shook her head with a warm smile.

"Not at all." Bonne told him. Jeremy took a seat beside her, filling his glass before setting the bottle down between them. He was sat forward, leaning his elbows on his spread knees and his chin on his glass-free hand. Bonnie watched him for a moment. He had seemed irritated in the lounge last night but when she had asked him about it earlier in the classroom, he had hastily changed the subject. She wondered if this was the reason he seemed so anxious now. "Penny for your thoughts, Gilbert?" She asked quietly, swirling her bottle of champagne while staring down it like the barrel of a loaded gun. Jeremy side eyed her briefly but turned back to stare into the dark woods.

"Did Damon talk to you last night, about me?" Jeremy asked, just as quietly. Bonnie took a deep breath. She knew immediately what his mood was about. She frowned and looked at the pavement.

"He did." Jeremy shut his eyes for a moment, feeling the anger rising in his chest. Bonnie reached her hand out to rub Jeremy's arm reassuringly. He pulled away, sitting back in his chair with a huff.

"I don't believe him." He paused, blinking slowly. Bonnie rubbed his forearm gently. "I didn't put him up to it, Bonnie." He said. Bonnie smiled and nodded.

"I know, Jer." She replied. She took a deep breath. "He would've thought he was helping." Bonnie said. Jeremy shook his head, still fuming. "I'm okay." She told him sincerely. Jeremy looked up at her again, his eyes searching hers. She raised her eyebrows at him slightly, as if to open her eyes further for him to inspect them for any signs of distress. "Really, I am." Jeremy nodded. "Don't be mad at him." Jeremy refocused on staring into the dark abyss of the woods and they sat in silence for several minutes, broken only by the sounds of Bonnie swigging from her bottle of champagne.

"We never got closure, Bon." Jeremy said suddenly. Bonnie was in the middle of swigging from her champagne and she gulped it down and sat up slightly in her armchair. " _I_ never got closure." He paused. "I saved your life, but you were still trapped in the prison world. And when you got out, you told me not to come back." Bonnie closed her eyes, feeling a familiar stab of guilt run through her heart.

"I'm sorry for the way things ended between us." Bonnie paused, studying Jeremy's stoney expression as he still stared off into the darkness. "I thought I was doing the best thing I could for you. I know now, that wasn't my decision to make." Jeremy swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Thank you." He muttered. Bonnie smiled sadly and then her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why _did_ you get so angry at Damon?" Bonnie asked. Jeremy opened his mouth and then reconsidered, closing it again. After a moment's silence, he responded.

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt." He answered. Bonnie paused, remembering him saying those exact words so many years earlier.

* * *

 _"Wha- why did you have to get involved?" Bonnie asked across the Gilbert's kitchen. Jeremy turned around to face Bonnie, his face covered in scratches and bruises, and a white bandage covering Katherine's bite marks on his neck._

 _"Because I didn't want you to get hurt." He said quietly, his eyes hurt by Bonnie's accusing tone. He had been made to feel like a child the whole day and having her standing before him, treating him like one, hurt him to his core. Bonnie swallowed and took a step towards him, not breaking eye contact. He took a slow step towards her, without even truly recognising that he was doing it - gravitating towards her, like he felt he had been doing for so long._

 _"Look, Jeremy...you can't feel that way about me." Bonnie said breathily. She could feel herself almost choking on the words, almost like her own body was rejecting the words she was saying. He took another small step towards her, shaking his head._

 _"Don't." He almost whispered to her. Bonnie felt herself playing ignorant._

 _"What?" She asked. They both continued to step towards each other slowly, still not seeming to even notice the pull between them that seemed to come so easily._

 _"Don't act like this is one-sided. Like...like I'm some kid that has a crush on his sister's friend." Bonnie swallowed, suddenly noticing how close Jeremy was to her. Jeremy was now inches from her. He raised his right hand to stroke the side of her face lovingly. "You could have died today." He whispered. Bonnie could feel her eyes filling tears from both fighting against her feelings for Jeremy and remembering that she almost lost him that day._

 _"And you almost did." She whispered back. Jeremy watched her intently. His hand continued to caress her cheek._

 _"That was a chance I was willing to take." Jeremy took another step towards her, leaning forward to kiss her. Before their noses collided, Bonnie took a gasping breath and stepped backwards._

 _"I can't." She whispered so quietly that he had barely heard it. "I- I can't." She repeated, gaining confidence. Jeremy pulled away and lowered his hand from her face. "I'm sorry." Bonnie said quietly. Jeremy looked as if he was holding back tears himself. He swallowed and looked away. Bonnie headed towards the Gilbert's back door. As she reached the door handle, she glanced back at Jeremy, wondering if she was making the right decision, before she slipped away into the night._

* * *

"I know you're going through hell at the moment, Bonnie." Jeremy told her, looking at her intently. She thought about how he was only a few crow's feet away from the same face he had given her that night in the Gilbert kitchen all those years before. "I know you also are miles away yet from being ready to move on and I hate that Damon and Elena are putting pressure to hurry up and get happy so that they don't feel so bad about getting to live their happy ever after." Bonnie felt tears welling in her eyes. He was voicing what she had been silently feeling since seeing Elena and Damon the previous day. He had _known_ without her having to say anything at all. Jeremy's eyes were also glistening with unspilled tears. "But I want you to know that I'm here. If you need _anything_ , I'm here." He finished. Bonnie nodded. And then she glanced down at her own chest in shock. She felt something that she hadn't felt in so long that she had honestly thought she would never feel it again.

A tug at her heartstrings that wasn't from grief.


End file.
